INSIGHTS FROM AN ACCELERATOR

What a ride it has been! Lightning Lab GovTech has officially wrapped up, and it’s the perfect time to take a moment to think about our shared GovTech journey. Over the course of three months the program has started and concluded, and teams have been working hard to come up with solutions to the big…

NEW TECHNOLOGIES & THE PUBLIC SECTOR

New technologies are disrupting all industries and sectors, including the public sector. Governments around the world are now opening their eyes to the power that these technologies have to offer. New technologies have the ability to drastically improve the effectiveness of many government functions by speeding up internal processes, increasing productivity and opening up new…

MEDIA RELEASE: Lightning Lab GovTech Demo Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wellington, New Zealand |14 November 2018 Inaugural Lightning Lab GovTech Demo Day deemed a huge success New tech and entrepreneurial thinking is looking to save albatross from extinction, giving Kiwis a blockchain-based digital identity, and humanising the way agencies prevent and respond to family violence in Aotearoa. These were just a few…

TEAM FOCUS: WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL, HOUSING AFFORDABILITY

New Zealand’s main cities are under immense housing pressures. This Wellington City Council project aims to develop a solution that enables Wellingtonians to be well housed (both now and in the future) and that the complex task of housing supply issues is being addressed so that future generations can also enjoy the benefits of living…

TEAM FOCUS: WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL, ACCESIBILITY

By enabling further accessibility Wellington City can shape into more of an inclusive and easier space for everyone to live within. Improving this accessibility will allow more people to participate in all aspects of city life and New Zealand’s capital can continue to remain an attractive location to residents and visitors of any age and…

MEET THE LAB TECH: ANGUS

Together with Alina, Angus is one of our Business Development LabTechs. You can find him roaming around the office, helping the teams with his knowledge in policy and law. When he’s not busy with Lightning Lab GovTech, Angus is running Ignite Consultants – a student-run non-profit organisation aimed at generating a socially conscious future by empowering…

TEAM FOCUS: WATER SAVIOURS

The Taiwan Water Corporation is developing a solution to an issue which affects every single city across the planet: water loss from urban distribution systems, due to leakage. By utilising modern technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning they are able to detect leakages within the water mains and effectively reduce…

TEAM FOCUS: SAFETY PLANNING

Aotearoa has one of the highest rates of family violence in the world. Government and community services are seeking to work more closely to ensure that whānau experiencing violence are getting the help they need. The primary focus of the project is on integrated practices with the goal of delivering services that prevent further harm…

TEAM FOCUS: MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, DIGITAL INCLUSION

The Community Connect project is committed to eliminating the digital divide and is actively working on solutions to improve access to connectivity and technology to ensure all New Zealanders are able to engage in an increasingly digitally-enabled society. We are working to provide connectivity to those who need it – driven by communities and what…

TEAM FOCUS: GREATER WELLINGTON REGIONAL COUNCIL

Greater Wellington Regional Council takes care of the things that really matter, from freshwater quality and biodiversity to high-quality drinking water, flood protection and emergency management for much of the region, and running the public transport network. Much of the work they do has a long-term environmental and natural resource management focus and involves creating…

TEAM FOCUS: DIGITAL IDENTITY

Digital identity is essential to establish a person’s digital rights and shape the digital economy in New Zealand. A priority for our local government is building a modern approach to digital identity which makes sure that a person is always in control of their data. The Department of Internal Affairs are working on this project…

MEET THE LAB TECH: REUBEN

Reuben is our all-rounder Marketing LabTech. You can find him around the Lightning Lab GovTech space taking sneaky photos of the teams in action, interviewing our guest speakers, or crafting the latest articles on all things GovTech. QUICKFIRE ROUND: Power snack? Peanut M&Ms – it always gets me through some serious study/work sessions. Power tune? I am a…

MEET THE LAB TECH: FORREST

Forrest is our legendary Web and UX LabTech. With a background in Front End Web Development and UX Design, Forrest is always ready to lend a hand when it comes to helping our teams bringing their vision to life digitally. QUICKFIRE ROUND: Power snack? Trail mix. Power tune? Anything by the Foo Fighters or 1788-L depending on…

TEAM FOCUS: BUILDING FINANCIAL CAPABILITY

The Ministry of Social Development project is aiming to build the financial capability and resilience of people, families and whānau which experience hardship by ensuring they have access to the required support ranging from preventive solutions to intensive interventions. Ultimately, the project wants to help people out of these difficulties or prevent the situation of…

AKINA: WHAT’S YOUR IMPACT?

Recently we were lucky enough to have Clementine Baker and Laura Ansell from the Akina foundation in the Lightning Lab GovTech space to speak to our teams about impact. The Akina foundation is making a huge difference in the social enterprise sector by working towards building a supportive, sustainable and prosperous Aotearoa. What does…

WHAT IS BLOCKCHAIN?

Blockchain is one of those hot tech words that we’re coming across more and more often. However, not many people actually know how this technology actually works and the range of applications it may have now and in the future. From cybersecurity to healthcare, government and financial services through to manufacturing and supply chain management,…

GUEST BLOG FROM ACCENTURE: THE STATE OF DIGITAL IDENTITY

by Michael Dutton, Service Design Lead, Accenture Imagine a paper-less world where every time you were asked to prove your identity – from applying for a bank loan to showing you were a licensed driver – was so easy that it just took a swipe and a couple of taps on your smartphone to…

MEET THE TEAM: SAFER SEAS FOR ALBATROSSES

What are you working on? We are working to activate people to increase albatross populations in order to prevent them from tracking to extinction. There are solutions currently available to stop these birds getting caught on hooks by the longline fishing fleets which means our challenge is to get these fishermen to apply currently…

MEET THE LAB TECHS: ALINA

Alina joined the Lightning Lab GovTech team as a Business Development Lab Tech. She’s our to-go-person for everything business related and she’s always ready to support the teams developing their projects an ideas. Keep reading to find out more about Alina! QUICKFIRE ROUND Power snack? Dates with almond butter – yum!! Power tune? Really tough question! It…

TEAM FOCUS: WREDA

The WREDA team came to Lightning Lab GovTech with one main goal: to employ digital solutions to add value to businesses in the Wellington Region. The team spent the first couple of weeks of the accelerator taking a closer look at the various challenges that companies face as they grow – we caught up with them to see…

HALFWAY HACKATHON: HOW TO PROTOTYPE

We’re officially halfway through the Lightning Lab GovTech Accelerator, and we couldn’t think of a better way to mark the occasion than throwing a Halfway Hackathon to get our creative juices flowing. We brought the teams together for a 7-hour sprint with one goal in mind: to create a rough prototype for their project by…

TEAM FOCUS: MINISTRY OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH ENGAGEMENT

The voices of young people need to be heard when government agencies are developing policies and services. However, engaging young people in these processes can be difficult. Agencies often lack effective and consistent methods for creating involvement and there is evidence young people are increasingly disengaged and disinterested in civic processes. This may be a…

MEET THE LAB TECHS: JOSH

Behind a great accelerator, there’s always a great team and it’s high time we introduce some of the faces that quietly work behind the scenes of Lightning Lab GovTech. Introducing: Josh, our talented graphic designer & motion graphics master. What brought you to be a LabTech? Being able to work with a diverse team…

PITCHING 101

You often have a small window of opportunity to convey your message. Having a good idea is not enough, you need to be able to articulate your thoughts concisely, in a way that will capture your listener’s attention. At the end of the accelerator, the participating teams will stand up in front of a room full…

THE ART OF NEGOTIATION

Effective negotiation can make or break a new venture; it can help you attract new customers or turn them away. Learning the Art of Negotiation is an invaluable asset for everyone looking to do business, and it can give funders and entrepreneurs the jump start they need to succeed. Stuart Van Rij, Head Coach for…

IT ALL BEGINS WITH BOOTCAMP

Lightning Lab GovTech is officially underway! We kicked off by taking the 12 participating teams through an intense one-week bootcamp. We condensed 12-weeks worth of accelerator learnings into a 5-day innovation sprint to get our teams up to speed on lean and agile methodologies, team building best practices, negotiation strategies and more. Here are our…

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: RANDSTAD

Randstad is a global leader in the HR and recruitment services industry, offering a wide range of solutions in the HR services space. Randstad has been supporting people and organisations in realising their true potential, helping find the best permanent and contracting talent across many industries. Human connection is at the heart of their business.…

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: ACCENTURE

Accenture solves their clients’ toughest challenges by providing high-level services in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. With partnerships that include three-quarters of the Fortune Global 500, and expertise across more than 40 industries, Accenture is driving innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. We’ve caught up with one of Accenture’s Digital…

HOT OFF THE PRESS: LIGHTNING LAB GOVTECH

Lightning Lab GovTech is an opportunity to rapidly build, test, validate and experiment with new approaches and technologies to enable truly extraordinary government. The first edition of Lightning Lab GovTech has officially kicked off. From 60 projects, we’ve selected 12 projects to take part in a 3-months accelerator from August until November. If you missed…

The Accelerator Bootcamp will help teams prepare for the inaugural Lightning Lab GovTech, launching Monday 20th of August 2018. [Wellington, New Zealand, 13 August 2018] Creative HQ is bringing together teams made up of local, central, and international government agencies for the Lightning Lab GovTech program – a structured and methodology-based experimentation environment for breakthrough…

LIGHTNING LAB GOVTECH: THE LOWDOWN

With only a few days left until Lightning Lab GovTech kicks off, we’ve met up with Programme Director, Jonnie Haddon, to get the lowdown on everything you need to know about the programme. How did Lightning Lab GovTech come about and what was the inspiration behind it? Lightning Lab GovTech represents the perfect match…

LIGHTNING LAB GOVTECH: PROJECTS ANNOUNCED

Lightning Lab GovTech has officially launched. From 60 different projects teams we’ve selected 12 unique projects that are tackling complex situations. PROJECT #1: DIGITAL IDENTITY DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS Digital rights and inclusion, the digital economy and a digital strategy for NZ are all key government priorities. A foundational piece for all of these…

MEET JONNIE & STEPH

With only a few weeks left until applications close for individuals, it’s time to get up close and personal with the minds behind the 2018 Lightning Lab GovTech. We caught up with Jonnie and Steph (our Progamme Director and Programme Manager) for a cuppa and a chat about their power routine, what gets them out…